Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

(The god of pure love has descended! We recommend enjoying this with sweet background music~)

For the next week, Shi Ran truly immersed herself in university life.

General education courses, major courses, minor courses, the schedule is packed full, and the worst part is that there is some kind of campus run at night, and you have to run it a certain number of times each semester to pass.

The physical abilities that Fu Yanshen had developed in the previous instance were not inherited at all; they were all returned.

After running two kilometers every night, I'm often so exhausted I feel like I'm about to collapse.

Tonight too.

He lay on the grass of the playground, panting heavily, unable to tell whether he was seeing stars or real stars.

Song Yu lay down next to him, but his face didn't flush or his heart skip a beat, as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, did you hear? Another student confessed his feelings to Teacher Wen today."

Shi Ran merely glanced at him and weakly replied, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I heard that after class he chased her to the parking garage and even gave her flowers. Someone took a picture of it and posted it on the wall."

Song Yu took out his phone and swiped a few times. "Look, look, this post has even made it to the top of the trending topics."

Shi Ran didn't seem to care, thinking, "Isn't this normal?"

What's so surprising about someone like Wen Yiheng getting confessed to?

Song Yu shook his finger with a profound expression and sat up.

"No, no, no, this time it's different. I heard the person who confessed was Shao Qing from the psychology department next door, the most beautiful girl in the department! So many people chased after her but couldn't get her, and yet she took the initiative to pursue Teacher Wen..."

Shi Ran finally opened her eyes, took out her phone, and opened her chat with Wen Yiheng. The chat was still stuck on the automatic notification from when she added Wen Yiheng on WeChat.

He paused for a moment, then clicked into Wen Yiheng's WeChat Moments.

There really is a new one.

It's a photograph of a bouquet of flowers on a table: white lilies and a few pale pink roses, arranged in a clear glass vase.

The caption was only six words: Gain some energy.

Shi Ran quietly looked at this post on WeChat Moments, unable to describe her feelings.

What kind of bullshit energy did they get?

System: [language!]

Shi Ran lowered her eyes and randomly gave a thumbs up.

Almost the next second, my phone vibrated.

Wen Yiheng just sent him a message, which was a photo.

Under the streetlights on the playground, the figure lying on the grass is sometimes blurry and far away, but you can recognize it at a glance.

Suddenly, he sat up abruptly, his heart skipping a beat.

He looked up and around. The playground was bustling with people—running, strolling, chatting in the stands—a dense, dark mass that made it impossible to tell who was who.

Song Yu was startled. "What's wrong?"

Shi Ran's phone vibrated again; Wen Yiheng had sent another message: "Over here at the podium."

Shi Ran paused for a moment, then looked up at Song Yu. "It's nothing. I think I left my campus card at the check-in counter. You go back first, I'll go look for it."

Song Yu naturally stood up as well, "No rush, I'll go with you."

Shi Ran only knew that his heart was beating very fast, his mind was blank, and he couldn't even come up with a decent excuse.

"No need... I..."

Song Yu stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly realized.

"Oh, I know, you're going to the internet cafe again, aren't you..."

Song Yu smoothed things over for himself, then sighed, "Alright, but you have Professor Wen's class tomorrow morning, don't stay up all night."

Shi Ran quickly nodded. Luckily, the kid was incredibly slow-witted and walked towards the podium.

Wen Yiheng leaned against the railing of the podium. If she hadn't been hidden in the night, she would have been surrounded by classmates long ago.

Without saying a word, the two walked in tacitly along the path behind the playground.

I rarely come here. A few steps further on is the artificial lake that students jokingly call "Little Bitch." It's a pun, and it's really mean.

It's very quiet here at night. The streetlights are far apart, and the light is dim, making it difficult to see the road under your feet.

Couples sat in twos and threes by the lake, each occupying a small space without disturbing the other.

Some were lying directly on the grass, while another couple was leaning against a bench, kissing as if no one else was around.

They got very close, and the two of them didn't separate.

Instead, he would awkwardly look away, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

"What's wrong?" Wen Yiheng's voice came from the side.

She suddenly came to her senses and said, "It's nothing."

He just felt that he and Wen Yiheng were somewhat like one of these couples.

He suddenly had a slight hope that someone would look over and recognize the popular teacher Wen next to him.

"Will you be cold?" Wen Yiheng asked.

Shi Ran then realized that she had forgotten to bring a jacket and was only wearing a thin sweatshirt. The night wind blowing in from the lake made it a bit chilly.

But he still shook his head. "It's not cold."

Wen Yiheng glanced at him, said nothing, and simply handed him the coat that was draped over her arm.

A dark gray hoodie; I can't tell what brand it is.

Shi Ran hesitated for a moment, then took it.

The coat still carried his body heat, feeling warm and cozy, with a faint woody scent, just like his shirt.

He put on his coat, the sleeves of which were a bit long, and he rolled them up twice to reveal his fingers.

Wen Yiheng watched him roll up his sleeves, a slight smile playing on her lips, but she remained silent.

The two continued walking forward, a pale gold hook hanging on the lake's surface.

"Why is the teacher here so late?" Shi Ran finally thought to ask.

Wen Yiheng turned her head and glanced at him. "Run."

Shi Ran glanced at his shirt and then at his leather shoes, and simply let out a soft "oh".

Wen Yiheng followed his gaze and looked down, then chuckled softly.

"I'm done running and have changed my clothes."

His tone was so calm that it was sometimes hard to tell whether it was true or fabricated.

Shi Ran didn't press the matter, because he knew he wouldn't get a real answer even if he did.

Wen Yiheng used the same tone, the same expression, and the same gentleness that made it impossible for people to tell the difference between her lies and the truth.

There was a moment of silence.

The moonlight fell between the two people, like a thin veil.

"Excuse me," Wen Yiheng suddenly spoke up, "Did taking your picture earlier make you uncomfortable?"

Shi Ran looked up at him and asked, "So why did the teacher take my picture?"

Wen Yiheng turned her head to look at him. The night wind blew up the stray hairs on Shiran's forehead, and a few strands, damp with sweat, clung awkwardly to the side of her face.

"Because the way you lie there," he said, "looks like a tired little dog."

Shi Ran asked, feigning ignorance, "Is the teacher scolding me?"

"I'm praising you," Wen Yiheng said in her usual tone, with a smile. "You're very cute, you know that."

Shi Ran's face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head.

His heart was beating so fast that he was sure Wen Yiheng could hear it.

A night breeze suddenly blew across the lake, carrying dampness and the fresh scent of grass and trees.

It wasn't until something cool brushed against my face, tickling me, that I realized it was cherry blossoms.

Not far away, there was a tree in full bloom, its branches and leaves looking like a pinkish-white cloud in the moonlight.

Shi Ran was also a little surprised when she noticed it. "There's actually a cherry blossom tree here!"

Wen Yiheng turned around, followed his gaze, and explained, "The School of Pharmacy has a collaboration with the Japanese side. This Yoshino cherry tree was donated by the Japanese side. It was still light pink yesterday, but it has turned white today."

Shi Ran blurted out almost without thinking, "Ha, Teacher Wen is quite knowledgeable about flowers."

Only after he said it did he realize that his words contained a lot of resentment.

Wen Yiheng was also stunned for a moment, then turned her head to look at him.

Then he laughed, but unlike his usual gentle laugh, he actually laughed out loud.

Shi Ran felt a little uncomfortable from his laughter and turned her face away.

What's so funny...?

Wen Yiheng took a step to the side and stood in Shi Ran's line of sight again.

"I didn't accept the girl's flowers," he said.

I never expected him to point it out so clearly.

Without any preamble or detours, he simply stated it without any concealment.

That made me seem very unhappy.

Shi Ran really wanted to ask directly, "What are you explaining to me? What's going on with your WeChat Moments? What do you mean by 'gaining a little energy'?"

Why play these ambiguous word games?

His mouth moved faster than his brain; as if in a fit of pique, he actually blurted out the question.

"Why did you confiscate it?" Shi Ran looked up, staring directly into Wen Yiheng's eyes. "Does Teacher Wen not accept teacher-student relationships?"

Wen Yiheng looked at the person in front of her quietly.

When he looked at her like that, her heart pounded like a drum.

Suddenly, Wen Yiheng stepped forward.

His pleasant fragrance wafted over again, mingled with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms in the night breeze.

Shi Ran subconsciously held her breath, feeling a tightness in her chest, as if something was pressing down on it.

He blinked a few times quickly, but Wen Yiheng simply raised her hand and brushed off a petal that had fallen onto Shi Ran's hair at some unknown time.

Then he gently ruffled Shi Ran's hair, as if soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.

Did I say that?

Shi Ran lowered her head and closed her eyes briefly.

He needs time to calm down.

He really needs to slow down.

His heart was beating so fast that he felt it wasn't his own heartbeat.

He took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, Wen Yiheng was still quietly watching him, as if she had never looked away.

"Should we discuss that presentation after class tomorrow?" Wen Yiheng asked.

Shi Ran nodded in agreement, but his mind was still a mess, and he didn't hear what Wen Yiheng said at all.

"Do you have classes this afternoon?" Wen Yiheng asked again.

At this moment, Shi Ran couldn't even remember her class schedule, "It's okay if I don't have it."

Wen Yiheng was amused by his answer, "Then it's a deal."

"Um."

Shi Ran ran all the way back to the dormitory. When he burst open the dormitory door, he made such a loud noise that Zhou Lin, who was sitting on the bed eating instant noodles, was so startled that he dropped his chopsticks and spilled noodle soup all over the table.

"Are you crazy?!"

Zhou Lin was wiping the table while cursing, and he paused when he saw the jacket Shi Ran was wearing.

Song Yu peeked out from the top bunk, squinted at Shi Ran, and said, "Hey, you're back so soon?"

Shi Ran didn't answer, but just took a change of clothes and a bath towel, and turned to leave again.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Only when the water receded did Shi Ran finally regain some clarity.

Hot water streamed down her hair, as if trying to wash something away with it.

How could this happen...

The system's voice sounded softly, "[Wait... who's trying to woo whom between you two? I feel like your 'heart level' is almost full?]"

Shi Ran wiped the water off her face. "I'm taking a shower!"

Is there anything about you that I haven't seen before?

Have some morals at all!

"Then you should have some principles, okay?"

The system paused for a moment, then replied, "[However, congratulations! The other person's affection level has also increased to 25.]"

Shi Ran was taken aback for a moment. "Only 25?"

[You two have only met three times, okay? Three times, 25, that's rocket speed!]

Shi Ran wiped his face, took a deep breath, and realized he couldn't go on like this.

He had to stay calm, stay composed, remember who he was, remember that this was a mission, and remember that those feelings of excitement were just a trick of hormones.

Just as Wen Yiheng said, love is just a hormonal deception.

If he forgets even this, then he really will become one of the guinea pigs in Wen Yiheng's thesis.

Shi Ran quickly dried himself off and went out. He turned off the lights as soon as he got back to his dormitory.

The dormitory was plunged into darkness.

Song Yu's groan came from the bed, "Why are the lights off again?!"

Shi Ran fumbled in the dark to turn on the desk lamp, the dim yellow light illuminating a small patch of space. His phone screen was lit up, displaying two unread WeChat messages.

He just wanted it to be from one person.

He made the right bet.

The first item is a paper with a long title about the regulatory mechanism of glandular hormone receptors.

Shi Ran glanced at it but didn't understand it at all.

The second message was a single line: "[This is a good topic. Let's discuss it after class tomorrow. No need to reply late at night.]"

He kept staring at the last four words.

No need to return late at night.

The four words are like trying to cover up something only to make it more obvious.

If you really want me not to reply, then don't send it!

If you send a message and then say you don't need to reply, isn't that obviously waiting for a response?

Two minutes later, Wen Yiheng's phone vibrated in front of the computer.

A smile curved his lips; he knew Shi Ran would reply, and that was exactly what he had been waiting for.

But when I opened it, it wasn't a message.

It's a tap-on.

Shi Ran patted her not-so-bright head and said, "See you tomorrow."

He glanced at it only once before turning the phone face down.

He stood up with his phone in hand, paced aimlessly around the study, picked up the whiskey on the table, and downed it in one gulp.

The phone vibrated again in his palm, sending a tingling sensation through him.

The screen is lit up, and another tap is taken.

Shi Ran patted Teacher Wen's clothes and said goodnight.

Wen Yiheng glanced at it only once before tossing the phone onto the bed.

The phone fell onto the blanket, bounced, and the screen was still lit, the small text gleaming faintly in the darkness.

He needs to take a break.

He really needs to take a break.